Free Divided by Kimberly Montague Page B

promise."
    "Oh, I know that." I patted Chopper a few more times. "But it's just—it's a long way to fall."
    He kissed my cheek. "Now see, why are you worrying about falling when you'll be in my arms the whole time?"
    I could actually feel the heat rise to my cheeks. Blushing? Seriously? What was I twelve?
    "Put your right foot in the stirrup here and swing your left leg over his back." He put his hands on my waist, making me even more aware of how close we were—or I should say, making my body more aware of how close it was to his. With his help, I managed to get on top of the horse without embarrassing myself.
    Dev, of course, put his foot in the stirrup and swiftly and expertly threw his leg over the other side like it was nothing. Being wrapped in his arms was profound. I'd forgotten how safe I felt, but it was more than that now. His muscles were even more defined, even larger, and his strength practically oozed from his pores. The way he easily held me, his upper arms brushing the sides of my breasts, sent tingles up and down my spine.
    Dev looked back down at Butcher. "I've missed you, boy, but you have to stay here. I promise to bring her back safe and sound." He whispered warmly, "Tell him to stay here. I don’t want him trying to keep up with us."
    "Butcher, stay. I'll be back, boy." I smiled at him and leaned farther back into Dev's arms.
    "Let's go, Chopper," he said loudly.
    Since his cheek was right next to mine, his voice reverberated in my ear, bouncing happily inside my head. I turned my face to kiss him on the cheek, but he seemed to sense what I was doing and met my lips with his own. It was just a quick peck, but it was enough to kick my hormones into overdrive. It took a significant amount of willpower to ignore him and his body wrapped around me, but the fact that I needed to concentrate on staying on the horse made it a little easier.
    After only a few minutes of riding, we came to an area full of large, very old looking trees. They were the kind of trees you really wanted in your backyard as a kid—the kind with thick branches just perfect for climbing and sitting on. As we rode into the heart of the grouping, one magnificently large tree came into view. Perched in it was a pretty impressive tree house.
    "My dad and I built it. Darren and I used to come here all the time. It's… special." He smiled.
    It made me feel a little normal that he wanted to share this with me. I felt like this was something he would have shown me if there hadn't been an infection, if there hadn't been any murders, and if he weren't leaving in a matter of hours. But I didn't want to think about him leaving so I turned and smiled back at him. "It's incredible."
    "You're incredible. But you have to wait here for a few minutes, okay? I want to do something to it before you come up—to make it more special."
    "I'm with you, Dev, there's nothing more special than that."
    He kissed me softly again then hopped down from the horse and turned to lift me down. He held me to him, my feet dangling a few feet off the ground as I stared into his eyes. I was so thankful for the brightness of the nearly full moon, so that I could easily see him.
    "Just stay here a minute. Keep Chopper company."
    "Okay."
    He disappeared, carrying two saddle bags, and while I could see his outline move toward the tree, I couldn't make out much else. I could hear him moving around up there, but had to settle for staring at the stars instead of staring at Dev.
    It wasn't long before he was walking back to me. "Okay, you can come up now." He took my hand and pulled me toward a ladder then had me follow him up. When he helped me up through the small trapdoor, I was greeted by a bunch of LED candles glowing softly around a small covered deck area. Attached to the deck area was a house with a wide, open doorway. Inside, more LED candles glowed, and a large sleeping bag was spread out on the floor. He even had a mini-radio playing soft music.
    "What do you